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11 May 2013

Chongqing: Capitalism on steroids

If Chengdu is a mecca for malls,
Chongqing is capitalism on steroids. As we have become accustomed to, the city is
in the midst of a construction boom – the skyline is littered with cranes and
skyscrapers in various stages of development.
This growth has been relentless since 1997 when Chongqing became one of
China’s “Special Economic Zones”
with favourable tax and trade concessions.

As we checked into our hotel, one of
the headlines in the ex-pat newspaper tells the flip-side of the coin – “One in
three Chinese suffer from hypertension and high blood pressure.”

That evening we went for what turned
out to be the best meal we have had since leaving England, at a place called *Shinfang 123*. Deep fried spicy ribs, spicy roast potatoes,
chilli “mandarin” fish, Chinese cabbage and sticky rice steamed with pork. All amazing.
Slightly odd however, was the fish’s double act – in round one (about 5
minutes after ordering) it appeared at our table in a plastic bag, very much
alive and flapping vigorously. The
waitress held out her iphone, which, using google translate read “this one to
you?” Unsure what qualities to look for
at this stage in the negotiations John gave it a cursory examination and a
“thumbs up.” Its subsequent appearance
was in more conventional style – chopped and under a bed of spring onions and
Sichuan chilli. Delicious.

After dinner, as it was Friday
night, we decided to join the throngs of Chinese walking the streets of the
central square, enjoying the warm evening under the towering sky scrapers. This part of town is also famous for its
barbecued street food and this was in full swing. Sadly we had no room left to try it. Following the crowds we then came to a modern
courtyard housing some bars and an enormous nightclub. Milling here were Chongqing’s rich, young
things. Outside the club (Muse) were
parked two Lambourghini’s and a Ferrari.
Feeling decidedly underdressed we tried to slip away into a relaxed
looking bar nearby. But as soon as we
stepped foot inside, the camp barman squeaked “Hello!! Sit down!” from behind
the bar and hopped up and down excitedly.
All eyes turned to us, and so it remained for the next hour. We had an excellent time, Jimmy (the barman)
relishing being able to show off to Westerners and spinning his cocktail
shakers with theatrical flare.

Two rounds of drinks later we made
our excuses and headed to our hotel. Already
a designer clad girl whose heels were longer than her skirt was throwing up on
the pavement, tears on her cheeks. Is
this the face of modern China? It seems
clear that China is only communist in the sense that it is not democratic. The hallmarks of communism live on in the
corridors of power, the lack of free speech, the repression of political
opposition, censorship of the media and, ironically, the ivory tower status
which membership of the Communist Party confers (an elite which accounts for
less than 10% of the population). China
still denies that it is succumbing to western excess, but if any of the
benefits of communism do survive, they’re invisible behind the façade of
economic growth and an increasingly detached wealthy class.